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A review by ryanberger
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
5.0
Simply put, this is my favorite book on story structure and writing that I've read.
It breaks my heart to see other reviews and see people say McKee is nauseatingly earnest or in love with the sound of his own voice. I don't mean to put the man on a pedestal, but he clearly sees stories for all their complexities and celebrates them in a way that feels unbelievably refreshing despite how long ago this book was written.
To write anything well is to know your topic inside and out, and when your subject is writing itself, it requires a deep knowledge of history, technique, and as you'll come to find out, the human condition.
It will never ever hurt to continue to learn and study theory as you journey as a writer. This book is not a standalone "This is how you write your story" book. Such a thing could never exist. But over the course of Story, McKee will find the words you could never quite get out when discussing not only classic movies, but also what it means to struggle, to love, to lie (to others as well as oneself) and many other colors of the human rainbow.
I actually read Dialogue before reading this book, and while I can wholeheartedly recommend that book as well (reading the dialogue section is familiar territory for those who have read Dialogue. Dialogue is a galaxy in it of itself, and easily warrants an entire book), by the end of book 2 you will probably feel a little fatigued. If I have one gripe with the book, and this is probably true of most great teachers, key ideas tend to be regurgitated again and again. It's like a final review for a test that's never going to come. They could have cut down on a few mentions of certain key ideas and still drove the point home while saving a few trees in the long run.
It's not enough to detract from how excellent this book is. You may not exit feeling technically sharp, but you will be a better consumer, a better learner for your next lesson. You will learn more from your own mistakes. The screenwriter, playwright and novelist, and even people just looking to get more out of the movies they watch should have this book on their shelf.
It breaks my heart to see other reviews and see people say McKee is nauseatingly earnest or in love with the sound of his own voice. I don't mean to put the man on a pedestal, but he clearly sees stories for all their complexities and celebrates them in a way that feels unbelievably refreshing despite how long ago this book was written.
To write anything well is to know your topic inside and out, and when your subject is writing itself, it requires a deep knowledge of history, technique, and as you'll come to find out, the human condition.
It will never ever hurt to continue to learn and study theory as you journey as a writer. This book is not a standalone "This is how you write your story" book. Such a thing could never exist. But over the course of Story, McKee will find the words you could never quite get out when discussing not only classic movies, but also what it means to struggle, to love, to lie (to others as well as oneself) and many other colors of the human rainbow.
I actually read Dialogue before reading this book, and while I can wholeheartedly recommend that book as well (reading the dialogue section is familiar territory for those who have read Dialogue. Dialogue is a galaxy in it of itself, and easily warrants an entire book), by the end of book 2 you will probably feel a little fatigued. If I have one gripe with the book, and this is probably true of most great teachers, key ideas tend to be regurgitated again and again. It's like a final review for a test that's never going to come. They could have cut down on a few mentions of certain key ideas and still drove the point home while saving a few trees in the long run.
It's not enough to detract from how excellent this book is. You may not exit feeling technically sharp, but you will be a better consumer, a better learner for your next lesson. You will learn more from your own mistakes. The screenwriter, playwright and novelist, and even people just looking to get more out of the movies they watch should have this book on their shelf.